obama did what he always does, provided long-winded answers to general questions. the first question from the white house press corps should have been very simple. exactly when were you told about general petraeus, mr. president? and why was this kept secret until after the election? simple. that's the kind of question that allows no wiggle room. instead, an associated press guy asked an opinion question rather than a fact question. allowing the president to dance. >> do you think that you, as commander and chief, and the american people should have been told that the cia chief was under investigation before the election? >> obviously, there is an ongoing investigation. i don't want to comment on the specifics of the investigation. the fbi has its own protocols in terms of how they proceed. and, you know, i'm going to let director muller and others examine those protocols and make some statements to the public generally. i do want to emphasize what i have said before, general petraeus had an extraordinary career. he served this country with great distinction in ira